Eight buildings with dramatic charred-timber facades

For our latest roundup, we've collected buildings clad in charred timber, including a dark-hued yoga retreat and a cabin "shaped by fire".

Charred timber is used in projects across the world to create a dramatic, tactile exterior. The effect is sometimes made using a Japanese technique known as shou sugi ban.

Here, we have collated eight projects with striking charred-timber-clad exteriors.

House with One Pillar by Buero Wagner — Photo by Kim Fohmann

Houses with One Pillar, Germany, by Buero Wagner

Located in Starnberg, Germany, these two conjoined homes were designed for a father and his son with his family and are connected by two garages.

Architect studio Buero Wagner contrasted the homes' exposed concrete interior with a very dark, charred-timber facade for both of the houses, which mirror one another.

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Exterior of charred-timber house — Photo is courtesy of Brotherton Lock

Oxfordshire home, UK, by Richard Parr Associates

This single-storey farmhouse was designed to blend into the wild countryside of its site in Oxfordshire.

Designers Richard Parr Associates combined charred timber, brick and corrugated metal for the home, which is split into four distinct quarters.

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Yogi's Cabin by Built Works — Photo by Connor Duffy

Yogi's Cabin, UK, by Built Works

Also nestled in the UK countryside is Built Works' Yogi's Cabin in East Sussex, which has a design that was informed by Japanese domestic architecture.

The studio used locally sourced larch for the facade of the cabin, which was then charred by hand using the shou sugi ban technique.

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Yamaguchicho House, Japan, by Slow

Described by architecture studio Slow as having a "simple, hut-like appearance", this home in Nagoya has an eye-catching overhanging pitched roof.

Its charred-cedar-wood facade was kept almost totally free of windows for privacy, with the interior illuminated by skylights instead.

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Timber house on grass — Photo by Adrian Ozimek

Two Bay House, Canada, by RHAD Architects

This Nova Scotia home was designed by RHAD Architects to have a "quiet, monolithic presence", characterised by its blocky volumes and carved-out voids.

Its exterior walls were clad in vertical wooden siding that was charred using shou sugi ban, before being treated with black oil.

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River, Rock, Fire cabin by Mimosa Architects in Czech Republic

Cabin, Czech Republic, by Mimosa Architects

Shaped by "rock, river and fire", this cabin on the banks of the Sázava River in the Czech Republic sits on the site of another cabin that burned down.

Local studio Mimosa Architects wrapped the home, built on the stone plinth retained from the destroyed former cabin, in charred larch planks.

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Charred timber extension — Photo by French + Tye

Walthamstow extension, UK, by Gresford Architects

A stack of charred-timber-clad volumes was used to extend this Victorian terrace in Walthamstow, London, by Gresford Architects.

"The new extension reads as a crisp and contemporary addition, with charred timber cladding that provides a robust yet pleasing contrast with the brick of the original house," the studio told Dezeen.

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Timber house in Japan — Photo is courtesy of Tato Architects

House in Mibu, Japan, by Tato Architects

Located in Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, House in Mibu contrasts its pale plywood-lined interior with a dark, charred-timber-clad facade.

Local studio Tato Architects wanted to balance "enclosure and openness" in its design, which includes a sloped green roof that can be used as a terrace.

Find out more about House in Mibu ›

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